Device and method for billing connections that are routed via a packet network

1. A method for billing for a connection routed via a packet network, comprising:

starting the billing when the connection is established between a plurality of subscriber terminals;

transmitting information packets according to a quality standard by at least one of the terminals;

routing the information packets in the network via a central device controlling a quality; and stopping the billing if the quality standard is not met; and

when the quality standard is not met:

stopping the transfer of information packets, and

signaling to a controller responsible for billing that transmission has stopped.

2. The method as claims in claim 1 , wherein the quality standard is defined by a minimum separation in time between information packets consecutively transmitted.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in order to transmit the information packets within the minimum separation time, a packet is transmitted regardless of a feature that does not require the packet transmission.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the feature is selected from the group consisting of a silence suppression, an encoding method, and a packetization method.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein billing information that relates to a connection and is present in a controller responsible for billing is stated by the central device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein billing information is sent via a signaling interface between a controller responsible for billing and the central device, and wherein a media gateway control protocol is used to send the billing information.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the billing information includes a time duration calculated from the start of the billing to the end of the billing.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the billing information further includes characteristics of the transmission that affect billing, the characteristics selected from the group consisting of the number of packets, packet length, packet loss rate, and peak throughput.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the terminals monitors the quality standard.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the information packets are IP packets, ATM packets or frame relay packets.

11. An arrangement for billing for a connection routed via a packet network, the connection between a plurality of subscriber terminals, comprising:

a data stream of information packets exchanged between subscribers, billing for the data once the connection is established;

a quality standard of the connection; and

a central device arranged within the network, the device having a quality control and routes the information packets, and stops the billing when the quality standard is not and when the Quality standard is not met:

stopping the transfer of information packets, and

signaling to a controller responsible for billing that transmission has stopped.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the central device is in the form of an IP gateway.

13. A method for billing for a connection routed via a packet network, comprising:

initiating the connection by a first subscriber terminal to a second subscriber terminal;

starting the billing when the connection is established between the terminals;

providing a signaling path between the subscribers;

transmitting information packets by at least one of the terminals, the packets transmitted so that a minimum separation in time occurs between information packets consecutively transmitted; and

stopping the billing if packet separation is greater than a guard time, wherein the signaling path is a different path than provided by the connection,

when packet separation is greater than the guard time:

stopping the transmitting of information packets; and

signaling to a controller responsible for billing that transmission has stopped.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the guard time is less than 1 second.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the guard time is 100 milliseconds.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein in order to transmit the information packets within the minimum separation time, a packet is transmitted regardless of a feature that does not require the packet transmission.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein each of the terminals monitors the transmission to determine if the transmission is within the guard time.